Eccleston’s Departure: “I know what went on”

Ninth Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston features in a superb interview in the Telegraph this week in which the actor chats about his love of the stage and his varied career.

Naturally there are questions about the reasons behind his quitting Doctor Who after just 13 episodes – a decision that he has never come clean about. Suggestions have been made that he felt conditions on the show were not what he expected , but he continues to maintain a dignified vagueness on the situation whenever asked.

“I know what went on and the people who were involved know what went on – that’s good enough for me.”

On taking the job in the first place, Eccleston believes he made the right choice.

“My conscience is completely clear. I’ve lived my life, particularly my working life, on the basis that I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror about the way I behave. It wasn’t a bold move, it was an entirely natural one. I’m hugely grateful to the children who to this day come up and talk to me about the show.”

A long-term Doctor Who fan, Christian grew up watching the show and has early memories of the Graham Williams era. His favourite stories are Inferno, The Seeds of Doom and Human Nature (although The Empty Child, Blink and Utopia all come close). When he’s not bossing around the news team, Christian is a freelance writer specialising in mobile technology and domestic computing, and enjoys classic rock, cooking and spending time in the countryside with his wife and young children. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.